1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a gaming simulation program and more particularly, to a gaming simulation program providing for user selection of gaming and betting strategies.
2. Background Information
A number of computer programs have been developed to permit a user to simulate the playing of various games of chance such as poker, blackjack, bingo and the like. Some programs are available on CD ROM or floppy diskettes and are adapted for installation and use on personal computers. Programs are also burned into integrated circuit memory chips installed in hand held electronic devices. Computer programs and hand held devices programed to simulate games of chance conveniently permit the user to simulate the playing of sequential hands or rounds of a selected game of chance and track the results of playing a given number of hands by displaying, for example, a running total of the user""s xe2x80x9cbankroll,xe2x80x9d i.e., how much xe2x80x9cmoneyxe2x80x9d the user has at any given time assuming the user started the playing session with an initial bankroll.
Lacking in prior art gaming simulation programs and devices is the ability to simulate the results of playing multiple rounds or hands of a selected game of chance using both a selected betting strategy and a selected playing strategy and displaying simulation result statistics so the user can intelligently analyze different combinations of playing and betting strategies.
What is needed is a gaming program and method for its use that allows the user to select between different games of chance and, for a selected game of chance, to further select a betting strategy from a set of betting strategies and a playing strategy from a set of playing strategies and to simulate the playing of a plurality of hands using the selected betting and playing strategies. What is further needed is a gaming program and method for its use that provides comprehensive statistics to enable a user to determine the results of the simulation of a plurality of hands using the selected betting and playing strategies to enable the user to determine the relative merits of the selected strategy vis-a-vis other strategies. What is further needed is a gaming program and method of use to enable a user to be taught various strategies and techniques in playing various games of chance and to enhance his skill in employing such strategies and techniques. What is also needed is a gaming program and method for its use that is relatively inexpensive and easy to use.
The present invention concerns a gaming simulation computer program for use on a personal computer. The program provides for user selection of both gaming and betting strategies. A betting strategy is a decision rule for deciding how much to bet on any given hand or game. For example, a simple betting strategy would be: if I won the last hand, I will double my previous et on the next hand, and if I lost the last hand, I will reduce my previous bet by half on the next hand. A gaming strategy is a decision rule or rules selecting a course of action to be taken when a non-betting amount question arises. For example, in the card game known as war, in a first hand, if the dealer and the player are both dealt cards that have the same numeric value, the player must choose to either surrender or not surrender. If the gaming strategy decision rule selected by the player is to surrender, the player loses one half of his or her current bet and a new hand is dealt. If the gaming strategy decision rule selected by the player is to not surrender, the player puts up additional money to match his current bet while the dealer does not. A second hand is dealt, the player and the dealer each receiving a card, the winner (i.e., the person receiving the card with the higher numeric value) of the new hand takes all of the money put up in the first and second hands.
In one operating embodiment of the present invention, the single step mode, the user selects a betting strategy and a playing strategy, selects a starting bankroll and determines the number of rounds or hands to be simulated. The simulation program, operating in single step mode, allows the user to step through the simulated playing of the hands on a one at a time basis prompting each hand to be played with a keystroke. Statistics are collected during the simulation gaming session. Upon completion of the simulation gaming session, statistics summarizing the results of the simulation are selectively displayed to the viewer, including occurrences of winning and losing streaks of different lengths and maximum and minimum bankroll values.
In a second operating embodiment of the present invention, the automatic mode, the user selects a betting strategy and a playing strategy, selects a starting bankroll and determines the number of hands to be simulated during a gaming session. Operating in automatic mode, the simulation program runs the simulation of the selected number of hands in automatic mode at a selected speed (hands dealt per time period) from a range of speeds, displaying each hand on a display screen of the computer monitor at a speed selected in terms of number of hands dealt per time period. Again, statistics are collected during the simulation gaming session. Upon completion of the simulation, statistics summarizing the results of the simulation are selectively displayed to the viewer, including occurrences of winning and losing streaks of different lengths and maximum and minimum bankroll values.
In a third operating embodiment of the present invention, the session operating mode, the user selects a betting and playing strategy, a starting bankroll, a maximum session winning amount cut-off, a maximum session losing amount cut-off, a bail out percent, and the maximum number of hands to be played in total. The simulation proceeds on a gaming session by gaming session basis. A gaming session consists of a simulation of successive hands until the maximum session winning amount or maximum session losing amount is achieved, or, if the user is on a winning streak, the session will continue until the current session bankroll declines by an amount greater than the maximum session bankroll amount multiplied by the bail out percentage. The current session bankroll is then carried over to the next gaming session. Upon completion of the total number of hands specified (or a current bankroll value of zero, whichever comes first), the simulation is completed and statistics are displayed for each session of the simulation.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become better understood from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention which are described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.